(Courtesy/Mr. Thompson)
Driving up the winding roads of Grove City on Saturday, April 13, you wonder: where am I? You turn the corner and see an elegant white building with colorful lights peeking out the grand windows. As a nighttime breeze sets in and excited energy swirls through the air, girls wearing long, beautiful dresses, and the boys looking dapper in their suits and ties. Entering White Willow Meadows, the prom’s venue, which is adorned with flowers, vines, and twinkling lights, a feeling washes over you that seems magical. After dancing to the DJ’s music, you can go to the life-sized storybook where Ms. Tursich is taking professional photos or play rounds of mini golf and chess, snack on cupcakes, explore the outdoor garden, or sit around the fire pit gazing at the stars. As you leave with a forest green shirt two hours later, you can’t help thinking that prom 2024 was one for the books: an enchanted fairytale.
Although prom is only three hours, the planning process began nine months ago. My fellow Junior Student Council members, Joey G., Katie J., Hansheng X., and I, started calling potential venues in July. We compiled a list of places to ask about availability, price, and maximum capacity, and eliminated the options one by one. If a site checked all the boxes, we scheduled an in-person visit. After two months of researching, calling, touring, and comparing, White Willow Meadows was at the top of our list with its reasonable price point and breathtaking glamor. As Mr. Thompson signed the contract, we had our venue secured and, thus, began the planning process.
Junior Student Council selected the Prom Committee, curating a group with unique skill sets and perspectives that included Ridah A., Molly F., Lucy I., Noah M., Skyler M., Arnav N., Kouros R., Sunil S., Peter S., Ethan T., and Alester X. With the venue’s obscure location, wooden columns, and outdoor garden, we decided on an enchanted fairytale theme, dubbed by Alester as “Once Upon a Prom.” We attended weekly lunch to plan on invitations, tee-shirts, and the reveal video.
I designed the invitations and tee-shirts, while Ethan created the logo and passed the invitations off to Skyler, who found companies to print them. Katie selectedthe envelopes and seals. Once we agreed on a t-shirt design, Arnav communicated with a local company.
Meanwhile, Joey coordinated with the DJ and created a playlist based on student recommendations. Molly and Noah ran the @ca.prom2024 Instagram: from answering common questions to fun interviews and “guess the teacher” prom photos, they advertised the dance for maximum turnout.
Another sub-committee wrote a script for the reveal video, which they filmed the first weekend of spring break. We also finalized the decorations and split into groups based on the venue area. I focused on the main dance floor, while others worked on the bridal suite, bachelor’s lounge, and patio area. We reconvened again on Sunday, March 31, two weeks before prom. Sunil edited the reveal video, while the rest of us decorated a storybook backdrop and discussed food, amenities, and activities.
The following day, as the lights dimmed and anticipation filled Schoedinger Theater, the Upper School awaited our theme reveal. On the film clip, Dr. Morris’s grand voice narrated the tale of Peterella, a spin-off story of Cinderella. Peterella (Peter) wanted to attend prom, but his stepmother (Hansheng) and step-sisters (Joey and Kouros) would not allow it. When a fairy godmother (Sunil) and Prince Charming (Noah) rescued him, Peterella and the prince attended a Fortnite-themed prom. However, the Fortnite prom was a failure, so they knew they needed something better, something from a fairytale. Cutting in with majestic music and videos showcasing the venue, Peterella, the fairy godmother, and Prince Charming burst through the doors, skipping down the aisles and throwing candy, to conclude the reveal.
With the proximity of prom setting in, we spent hours both during and after school packaging invitations, assembling tee-shirts, and decorating props. We also took initiatives to promote the dance, such as designing a prom-themed bulletin board to commemorate seniors, with the phrase “Once Upon the Class of 2024” written on it.
As with any event, however, we navigated through many curveballs. The venue was new and would not finished until March, so we never saw the completed building. One week before prom, we drove to Grove City for a final visit and realized that the wooden columns were much higher than anticipated. I discarded my original idea for decoration and improvised a new one: we would string two parallel ropes connecting each line of columns and attach vines across to the ropes. I hoped that, when we raised the ropes and secured them to the columns, it would create a forest canopy effect above the dance floor.
On the day of prom, our committee arrived at White Willow Meadows at 10:00 a.m. and unloaded stacks of boxes from our cars and sifting through supplies to begin decorating right away. We used sage green and light pink tablecloths, placing a clear jar filled with moss, twinkling lights, and fairy cutouts atop a wooden slab as centerpieces. There were gold napkins and cupcakes placed on elegant dishes, along with lights, vines, and flowers strewn across the tables. We set up a mini golf and pickleball court in the outdoor area, in addition to a large-sized chess and Connect Four. Once the basic areas were complete, it was all hands on deck for the main dance floor. We adorned the staircase with hanging wisteria and vines and strung vines across ropes for the forest canopy. Five hours later, we completed the job!
Driving up the winding roads of Grove City for the last time that night, I felt nervous anticipation but also a bittersweet feeling. Nine months later, the big day was here. This time, instead of an empty building, my classmates’ excited smiles and chatter greeted me. The night was young, and, of course, I danced it away.
As our prom journey comes to an end, thank you to everyone who made this enchanted night possible. And to the class of 2024: I hope your final dance was as magical as a fairytale.
